On his third appearance back after injury, James Forrest pulled-up in the dying moments of Saturday’s game clutching his hamstring. The player will be devastated but the mood was no better among those walking away from the stadium minutes later. Just as James was back and planning for what looked like an important season in his Celtic career, fundamental questions were being asked about his fitness viability.
We’ve seen this before. Shaun Maloney was forever breaking down, sometimes minutes after returning from injury. Shaun was a different type of player from James, he had a speed on the turn which made him a valuable asset, but likely contributed to his fragility.
The other pace player in the squad at the moment, Derk Boerrigter, has similarly fragile muscles. I hear the same about Aleks Tonev, currently injured. One of England’s greatest hopes of the last 20 years, Michael Owen was another member of the Fast and Fragile club. There seems to be a link between speed and injury.
There’s good news for James, and Derk too. After leaving so many regrets on the Celtic treatment table, Shaun’s limbs matured and stabilised. Michael Owen can tell a similar story, both players found their bodies vastly more robust from the middle part of their careers onwards.
James has to stick with it, continue to work on strengthening his muscles, and try to find what’s causing the problems, which can often be obscure. After a run of inexplicable injuries, AC Milan discovered that poor teeth were afflicting their athletes. Apparently your bite affects your running gate. Owen eventually found that his choice of cars (more specifically, sports clutches), was putting enough regular strain on the wrong muscles to leave him exposed to tears.
James’ and Derk’s bodies will continue to mature, to the benefit of the second half of their careers.
Not that Ronny is short of cover for James, having signed wide players Jo Inge Berget and Aleks Tonev we now have Ghanian Walaso Mubarak going through a medical.
The squad is becoming wing-heavy. It remains striker-light.
Greatest Irony
Do you know what would produce the greatest irony in sporting history? If Efe Ambrose came on as a late substitute tomorrow night, and we later discovered a rule deep in Uefa’s Articles that forfeit matches don’t count for suspensions. Forfeit matches are so rare no one will be familiar with the rules concerning them. Should we check? Oh yes.
James Alexander Gordon
It was the way he told them. Every week the man would uniquely intone the football results, you knew the outcome of each game, home win, away win or draw, before he read second number.
Maestro Match
Really delighted Celtic FC Foundation have nominated Unicef and War Child as their beneficiaries from the Maestro match next month, where we will “assist in their humanitarian work in a number of current Middle East countries”.
Foundation cheif exec, Tony Hamilton, said, “From our living rooms we have all witnessed some of the terrible vivid horror of conflict in recent days and the particular effects that these events have had on children.
“The work of UNICEF and War Child takes no sides but simply cares for all the innocent victims of conflict on a humanitarian level. The match in September will bring together some great names in football who want to make a difference.
“We hope as many supporters as possible can join us to assist children and their families who so desperately need our help.”
I know Celtic fans will want to support this enormously important cause. Read more and book tickets here.
[calameo code=000390171ae033f39a0c4 lang=en page=120 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,046 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 28
- »
Geordie Munro
The list has to be wrong. Commons is listed as foreigner.
Adam Matthews is also a home grown player.
STV get it wrong? Surely not!
Adam Matthews, normally a member of the club’s main selection, has been moved to a secondary list because the 21-year-old has now been with the Scottish champions for two years.
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/234603-uefa-rules-allow-celtic-to-open-up-extra-space-in-champions-league-squad/
LB
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox but saying no to CQN racists
Her blog that was removed was only posted on the 17th August so I take it to be it was before that.
Just reading Sky Sports. What on earth is the Petrofac Training Cup? Is this to train footballers in lower divisions? Give them a chance of winning something?
leftclicktic
“I dont know the date just saw the twitter pic of them on stage.”
If the pic is from a time before her tweets were discovered and published then there is no fault attached to Mr. Darling & Mr. Clarke
KINGLUBO
13:33 on
19 August, 2014
Knowing how the SFA are run I’d be surprised if they don’t declare a half days holiday so they can’t register our “new Bhoy” until tomorrow. !! Cynic, hope not.
Best wishes to big Sammi and thanks, you really “got” Celtic big fella
KINGLuBO
______________________________________________________________
I am hearing that you are not far off the mark and thet the SFA are having difficulty in registering our new Bhoy…..
Surprised…..Not
SFTB
http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-politics/9611-embarrassment-for-better-together-after-darling-shares-platform-with-bigoted-tweet-campaigner
If the pic is from a time before her tweets were discovered and published then there is no fault attached to Mr. Darling & Mr. Clarke.
Agreed
livibhoy
13:52 on 19 August, 2014
http://sport.stv.tv/football/288894-celtic-must-drop-one-senior-player-to-accommodate-wakaso-for-maribor-tie/
Someone is going to be unhappy.
LB
___________________________________
Pity STV wasent representing legia in the last round, boy do they know the rules eh? All of a sudden.
tonydonnelly67
Their earlier article contradicts the one I posted originally.
If I were a paranoid person I would say they were at it trying to confuse the club.
Can anyone confirm if Commons is classed as a foreigner? Surely that is wrong. He has played for Scotland.
LB
BMCUW @ 13 55 .
” But the emotions he was experiencing as he wrote and recorded it were obvious ” .
I remember a San Francisco radio interview with the man shortly after the Lp was released . He denied that the songs were personal and added that he had been reading a lot of Anton Cechov ..
I like the Lp a lot . One of the 5 Dylan Lps I liked enough to buy .
Definitely off oot now – cant put work off any longer !
Bada Bing
I have posted the Forrest figures often enough:-
2010-11- 25 apps.
2011-12- 43
2012-13- 29
2013-14 – 27
In the last 2 years he has appeared in over 40% of our league matches and has managed 11 European ties too in that time. The perma-injured label is much exaggerated.
Adam’s appearances figures for the last 3 years are :-
League Total
27 38
22 39
23 31
Again, he makes a valuable percentage of our teams, especially when you consider he has two rivals for his position.
I think Ronny and JC will have learned a lot from the Warsaw debacle and will set the team up to defend first and foremost with the hope of hitting Maribor on the break. Maribor have had some reasonable results in Europe in recent years but we should not be frightened of them at all. They are essentially a small club with limited resources and a stadium that holds 12,000. I remember when they knocked the huns out of the Europa League qualifiers to reach a group stage for the first time in 2011 – they celebrated like they had just won the Champions League final. They are no Barcelona.
If we can’t beat Maribor over two legs then we frankly should be nowhere near the group stages of the big tournament anyway. The Legia games were a shambles but we have moved significantly in the right direction since Murrayfield.
I’d be delighted with a dull 0-0 tomorrow. We then get Paradise packed to the rafters for the return game and let’s see what they’ve got.
Football has a habit of producing interesting stories and it would be superb to see us qualify after all the Legia carry-on. The 5000 page meltdown thread on follow follow would be the added bonus: I think the poor Sevconians would be pushed over the edge if we got through.
Let’s do this, Celtic.
JC on Reporting Scotland saying that it’s ’50-50′ whether Wakaso will be signed in time to beat CL deadline.
Deserved plaudits since Saturday for some of the football we played against DU.
And if your love of good football is stronger than your dislike of Chelsea and their manager, try to catch their second goal scored by Schurrle last night.
25 passes, mainly in the opposition half, without a Burnley player touching the ball, including a brilliant run by Hazard, and an absolutely exquisite first-time ball through to Schurrle from Fabregas, and a great finish.
If there’s a better goal scored anywhere this season, or a better pass, I hope it’s for Celtic.
Magnificent.
WDH
Thanks
That seems to clarify it. They did the right thing when her past was uncovered and have not used her since.
Syd Negakev – I am going to repeat this to you:
the proportionality of negativty on this site is directlty proportionate to the negativity displayed by those who run celtic.
Ergo if celtic showed more ambition there would be less negativity on this site!
WDH
don’t go worrying about that. Only an Independent Scotchland will be bigoted!!!
MWD says AYE
Sydnegkev,
Should this blog really be ‘happy’ all the time?
Some of our self appointed monitors may want that but it would be a very dull place. Celtic should be discussed in a forthright manner. CQN pravda, where a select few direct the mood, isn’t appealing to me.
Anyone who strives for an always happy blog probably needs to acquire more life contentment in general.
Last point not directed to you.
Mullet& Co,
We couldn’t even attract a “striker” of the calibre of Cameron Jerome.
Our best bet would appear to be to cultivate scoring midfielders, who arrive late in the box for cut backs.
Back to the grass cutting.
beatbhoy
Cracking goal last night by Livingston Bhoy Scott Arfield.
Made a lot of people in Livingston happy. We don’t have many stars.
LB
This was just voted the best joke at the Edinburgh Fringe:-
“I decided to sell my Hoover… well it was just collecting dust.”
The comedian concerned, Tim Vine, had previously won with :-
“I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I’ll tell you what, never again.”
I think the recent derby between Hearts and Hibs was much funnier.
Livibhoy
Yes, an excellent finish from a great cutback, just as Thomthetim was saying there.
Just seemed to get their guests angry though!!
Afternoon Timland from a seriously hot hun free mountain valley.
Too hot to be outside, mid 40s today.
Emerald Bee
Few games here are switched for tele, they in the main are played when they are supposed to be, especially games not involving Barca and Real.
As for getting a ticket, it all depends on how they are doing, if they are flying, you will struggle, otherwise you should get one no bother.
HH
livibhoy
13:52 on 19 August, 2014
http://sport.stv.tv/football/288894-celtic-must-drop-one-senior-player-to-accommodate-wakaso-for-maribor-tie/
Someone is going to be unhappy.
LB
_____
Assuming Efe is suspended would it make sense if it was him?
Just saying like!
HH
/Bishop B
SFTB- Thanks for reply,point taken re AM but we have played over 50 games most seasons ?
One of the injured to be ommitted ,Balde or McGeouch other options for me
SFTB
Haha I knew once id read that it was Tim Vine…
Not my prefered style but still funny
Simple but clever
Bada Bing
” AM but we have played over 50 games most seasons ?”
And few players appear in much over 40 of these, nor should they if we want to keep them fresh. The days of Dundee United managing a league campaign with the same 16 to 18 players is long gone and cannot be brought back.
Captain Beefheart
Of course, it shouldn’t be happy all the time. Quite a few things have been done badly and deserve criticism, e.g. the ill-prepared manner in which we approach the CL qualifiers each year.
My criticism was directed at the people who never see anything positive in anything Celtic do.
SFTB- True
SFTB: ‘In the last 2 years he has appeared in over 40% of our league matches and has managed 11 European ties too in that time. The perma-injured label is much exaggerated.’
==============================
By over 40% I assume you mean around 41%;)
Is this really something to trumpet given that, when fit, he’s a confirmed starter?
I think the fact he’s been fit only ~40% of the time in the last 2 years is very concerning.
How many of that 40%+ were appearances where he was coming back from injury and given a run out for 10mins at the end I wonder?
No getting away from the fact he has the ‘fragile’ tag for a reason.
HH
SOUTH OF TUNIS
Correct,he did say that.
He then said that he could never understand why anyone could listen to the album,bearing in mind the pain it expresses.
If you don’t consider it too rude,can I have a guess at your five?
Which are probably my top five,but heyho….
Blood on the tracks,Freewheelin’,Highway 61,Nashville Skyline,Desire.
Maybe I would have picked Infidels and Time out of Mind.
Depends on my mood,of course!
Agreed IPAD.
Couldn’t give a monkeys that Maribor defeated crap like Rangers and Hibs years ago.
We have huge resources in comparison to them.
Another Legia would be q disaster.
Celts to win though.
Offski again.
“Assuming Efe is suspended would it make sense if it was him?”
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
NegAnon2
Constant negativity is very depressing and drags this site down. In my opinion, again.
trad 88
“Is this really something to trumpet given that, when fit, he’s a confirmed starter? ”
Yes, IMHO.
That, and the fact that you contributed to half the achievements and more so with European ties. He actually appeared in 19 (not 11 as I said previously) of our European ties in the last two years and has 27 European appearances in the last 3 years.
So, yes, it is great to have “luxury” players for the bigger ties.
Any word on the compliance officer regarding the Embra derby head butt?
Phils up
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/12-million-loan-for-rifc/
TONYDONNELLY
He’s looking into Leigh Griffiths’ reaction to it.